Wakefield College Corporation
Board of Governors
Minutes of the Meeting held on 7 February 2017
1
Present:
Robert Allcock, David Caddies, Paul Campbell (Chair),
Emma Elvin, Andrew McConnell, Ian Parsons, Andy Wallhead,
Jane Walton, Andrew Watts, Sam Wright
Clerk to the Corporation
In attendance:
Deputy Principal, Executive Director Quality and Planning,
Executive Director HR and Organisational Development
Apologies:
Matthew Butler, Debbie Moss
2
Declarations of Interest
2.1
Agenda Item 7 (Property Development Update) – Andy Wallhead in relation to the
proposed purchase of the Archive of Deeds building (owned by the Wakefield
Metropolitan District Council).
2.2
On Agenda Item 9 (Staff Pay Review) – the Staff Governors, the Executive Director
HR and Organisational Development and Executive Director Quality and
Performance, where any decision on staff pay would impact directly on them.
3
Minutes of the Meeting Held on 13 December 2016
Resolved
That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2016 be approved.
4
Matters Arising
4.1
On agenda item 6.1(viii) (Update on Progress with the English and Maths Strategy),
it was noted that pass rate predictions would be given in January. However, these
were not included in the Performance Dashboard and would be reported at the
Board meeting on 28 March 2017.
4.2
On agenda item 18 (Date of the Next Meeting), it was noted that several Core
Strategic Items had been deferred at recent meetings. The Pay and Benefits
Strategy had been deferred (until 2017/18) due to competing priorities on the time of
the Executive Director HR and Organisational Development. A revised plan was
requested for the consideration of Core Strategic Items for the period going forward.
5
Minutes of the Committees of the Board:
5.1
Search Committee – 31 January 2017
The Clerk to the Corporation reported that the Search Committee had met the
previous week, but after Board papers had been circulated and, although the
NE/Board of Governors/Minutes/07.02.17
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minutes were not yet available, the Committee had a recommendation to make to
the Board on a Governor appointment. Jane Walton (Chair of the Search
Committee), outlined the strengths and areas for development of the Governor
recommended for appointment.
Resolved
That Minhua Eunice Ma be appointed an External Governor for a period of four
years, with a one year probation period, subject to a satisfactory DBS check.
6
Student Update
6.1
Robert Allcock reported the following:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
planning was underway for the Student Pride event on 23 February 2017,
although it had now been changed and extended and was to be called
“Proud to be a Student Week”;
a Students’ Union backed survey was still in preparation, with questions to
cover pastoral support within College and overall views of the College;
that he had attended the Castleford Campus Student Voice Forum that had
been held on 14 December. Feedback from students had been given on
some of the GCSE tutors.
6.2
Governors’ checked that the feedback given on GCSE tutors had been
appropriately referred to the Head of Student Services and Engagement – it had.
7
Performance Dashboard
7.1
The Principal reported the following:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
7.2
the Performance Dashboard presented was to 31 December 2016, with RAG
ratings given relative to forecast outturn position where available;
no information was available on lesson observations or destinations, but this
should be available for the next iteration;
areas RAG-rated ‘red’ included:
 student numbers (including FE numbers (All), HE fulltime and part time
and Apprenticeships (New Starts Adults)). In respect of HE student
numbers, recruitment had not been as buoyant as in recent years, and it
was thought that the change in validation arrangements might have had a
negative impact on enrolments;
 Adult Learning Loans, where the College was forecasting a year-end
shortfall on this facility.
Governors considered the following issues:
(i)
(ii)
whether attendance for English and Maths could be presented separately;
that although HE numbers were down for 2016/17, what the targets were for
2017/18, when the Advanced Skills and Innovation Centre (ASIC) would be
operational. Governors noted that validation partner arrangements had been
resolved and the ASIC was now being heavily promoted;
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(iii)
(iv)
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the reasons behind the rise in complaints compared with the previous year.
It was noted that the analysis of complaints had highlighted no themes.
Overall, there were no concerns regarding complaints;
that the decision, at the recent Governors’ Workshop, to adopt the real-time
corporate dashboard used by the Executive Team, meant that Governors
should have access to this information any time they wanted.
Property Development Update
This item is confidential as it contains commercially sensitive information.
9
Student Disciplinary Procedure
9.1
The Principal reported that the proposed changes were generally technical in nature
and included:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
9.2
updating titles to reflect new management structure;
referring to ‘legal highs’, which were now illegal, as psychoactive substances;
explicit reference to social media related offences to heighten awareness of
the prevalence of cyber bullying;
introduction of an emergency review process, where there was a
safeguarding issue in relation to a High Needs Student to ensure an
appropriate level of action could be taken to protect the student, other
students and staff against risk;
update of the Code of Conduct which categorised agreements to ‘Be
Respectful’, ‘Be Ready to Learn’ and ‘Be Safe’.
Governors considered the following issues:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
that some of the proposed changes to the Procedure had not been carried
forward into the appendices;
how the students were made aware of the Code of Conduct. It was noted
that the Code of Conduct was covered during the student induction and that
students were required to sign this Code at the start of each academic year;
that some of the example situations for Formal Stages 3 and 4 overlapped
and therefore provided ambiguity. This was acknowledged, but was felt to
permit staff a degree of judgement in their handling of situations that arose.
Resolved
That the Student Disciplinary Procedure be approved.
10
Staff Pay Review
10.1 The Executive Director Human Resources and Organisational Development
reported the following:
(i)
that the Association of Colleges (AoC) national recommendation for 2016
was for 1% uplift to be applied to all salaries or £250 where this was more
beneficial (typically for salaries of less than £25,000);
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(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
10.2
the living wage increased to £8.45 per hour with effect from November 2016.
The impact of meeting the living wage has meant the compete erosion of
differentials between points 5-11;
that due to significant cost pressures no consolidated pay award had been
made in the past two years;
that pay negotiations with the trade unions was on the basis of meeting the
AoC recommendation and living wage;
the in-year cost of the pay award was £110k and approximately double this
for a full year.
Governors considered the following issues:
(i)
(ii)
the steady erosion of differentials in pay at the lower end of the scale brought
about by the adoption of the living wage. It was noted that this was currently
being managed by job evaluation but that there needed to be a full review of
the College’s pay strategy – which was on the Board’s schedule of Core
Strategic Items;
that the AoC was minded to pull back from national pay negotiations as these
were not believed to be useful.
Resolved
That a 1% uplift be applied to all salaries or £250 where this was more beneficial
with effect from 1 February 2017.
That the bottom points of the pay scale be increased to the equivalent of £8.45 per
hour in line with the recommended living wage.
11
Equality and Diversity Annual Report and Data Pack
11.1 The Executive Director Quality and Planning reported the following:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
that the Annual Report and Data Pack had been prepared by the Assistant
Principal Inclusion and Partnerships prior to her departure;
the College’s Equality and Diversity Strategy included three objectives, the
progress of which is monitored via the Annual Report and Data Pack;
Objective 1: To maintain an average satisfaction rate among students in
excess of 95% in relation to perceptions that they are treated fairly whist at
College, irrespective of race, gender, religion, ability, sexual orientation or
age. It was noted that the satisfaction rating in the most recent student
survey was 97%;
Objective 2: To reduce gaps in achievement to an average of less than 5%
across all provision including Study Programmes, Apprenticeships, Adult
Provisions and HE, for all monitored characteristics. It was noted that
success rate gaps opened and closed for no apparent reason and cannot be
predicted. However, importantly, there was no sustained trend for any gaps;
Objective 3: To receive fewer than five complaints per year on a three year
rolling average, which relate to equality and diversity issues. This objective
was being met with no complaints in 2015/16 or 2014/15, and six received in
2013/14;
Highlights in 2015/16 included:
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



students who received counselling in College achieved an excellent
retention rate of 98%;
an 82% success rate for Early College Transfer students – a 30%
increase on the previous year;
95% of students on ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
bridging course progressed onto a College course the following year; 3%
gained employment;
85% achievement on Step Up To Work Programme for unemployed
adults.
11.3 Governors considered the following issues:
(i)
(ii)
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the declining number of complaints in relation to equality and diversity, and
whether students knew how to make complaints. It was noted, however, that
the Performance Dashboard showed that the overall number of complaints
by students had increased in the current year;
the apparent gap in relation to the second objective, especially from an
Ofsted perspective. It was noted that Ofsted were always interested in gaps,
but were more concerned that the College knew what the gaps were and
were addressing them.
Amending the Instrument and Articles of Government
12.1 The Clerk to the Corporation reported the following:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
12.2
the Deputy Principal currently had responsibility for the dismissal of staff, a
function that had been delegated by the Principal and which could only be
delegated to a senior post holder;
that the College’s Instrument and Article of Government needed to be
amended following the Deputy Principal’s decision to leave the College at the
beginning of April 2017 and the Board’s decision to not designate senior post
holder status to any of the posts within the new Executive Team structure;
the opportunity would be taken to review the entirety of the College’s
Instrument and Articles of Government to remove known impediments to the
efficient and effective operation of the Board and College;
the Executive Team had been invited to contribute to the review, identifying
areas where they might wish to see changes. Governors were also invited to
contribute to the process;
Eversheds would assist with drafting. It was proposed that the membership
of the Search Committee would review proposed changes prior to any
recommendation being made to the Board;
the target date for the Board to approve the amended Instrument and Articles
of Government was 28 March, which presented a very tight deadline.
Governors were content for the Clerk to propose changes to the Instrument and
Articles of Government that would improve the operation of the Board and the
College, permit flexibility to future needs, whilst also ensuring Governors retained
oversight of key areas.
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13
Update on Progress with the Strategic Plan
13.1
The Executive Director Quality and Planning reported that the College’s Strategic
Plan 2016-19 included an Operational Plan of activities for the year 2016/17 to
support the achievement of the Strategic Objectives. She opined that although the
College was making good progress against actions identified in the Operational
Plan, the impact of these actions was not yet clear and may not be known for some
time. Highlights included
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
13.2
Culture for Learning campaign launched at the staff conference. Key initial
actions included the introduction of a phone safe scheme to minimise
disruption to learning and a focus on ID badges to promote safeguarding;
three high performance advisors had been appointed to bolster resource
afforded to quality;
the English and Maths Strategy had been revised and relaunched with a
detailed and comprehensive improvement plan;
external expertise had been engaged to identify key areas of improvement in
curriculum areas;
a work placement team recruited and were in operation to enable College to
meet Study Programme principles;
an alternative curriculum had been introduced to the Castleford Campus to
meet need;
the Property Strategy had been updated and approved by the Board;
a strategic and operational response to apprenticeship reforms was being
formulated and implemented. A new Executive Director Employer
Engagement and Apprenticeships had been appointed;
preparations were underway via curriculum planning to enable the College to
position itself for the introduction of Technical and Professional Education
from 2019.
Governors considered the following issues:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
the significant number of actions for which no update on progress was
provided. It was noted that when updates were overdue, the MELD system
would automatically generate an email to the individual concerned and also
to the individual’s line manager;
that only those actions that could reasonably be undertaken in year should
be included in the Operational Plan – this would remove several of the
actions for which there were no progress updates;
that updates should still be provided, even when individuals responsible for
the updates were unavailable to provide them, for example on sick leave.
13.3
An update on the progress with the English and Maths strategy was promised for
the next Board meeting
14
Monitoring of the Quality Improvement Plan
14.1
The Executive Director Quality and Planning reminded Governors of the key areas
for improvement:
(i)
improve planning of learning to ensure all students can make maximum
progress;
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(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x)
14.2
improve tracking and monitoring to promote student progress and
achievement;
A*-C pass rate on GCSE English and Maths;
achievement rates on Level 2 Functional Skills;
AS results;
student attendance;
apprenticeship timely achievement rates;
use of destinations data;
work experience for study programme students;
students’ awareness of Fundamental British Values and the Prevent agenda.
While actions were being taken to address these issues, their impact was not yet
consistently successful. Current indications included:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
student attendance was still too low;
apprenticeship achievements rates were on an upward trajectory;
students judged ready to undertake work placement would do so by the end
of the academic year;
quality of teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) was not yet consistently
high. Work was ongoing to ensure better compliance with College
expectations around Active Schemes of Work, and higher quality
assessment practice, leading to improvements in TLA in all areas;
student awareness of Prevent and Fundamental British Values had
increased significantly
14.3
Meetings were taking place imminently to consider the outcomes of the AS and A2
mock exams and current GCSE and Functional Skills performance to establish
current position and forecast outturn.
15
Briefing Papers:
15.1
December Finance Report
Resolved
That the December Finance Report be noted.
15.2
Governor Attendance 2016/17
The Chair reported that Governor attendance to date in 2016/17 was 89%.
Resolved
That the Governor Attendance 2016/17 report be noted.
15.3
Use of the Seal of the Corporation
Resolved
That it be noted that there were no incidents of the use of the seal of the
Corporation being used in the period 7 December 2016 and 31 January 2017.
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16
Feedback from Governors on Development Sessions Undertaken
16.1 Since the previous meeting, Governors had attended the following development
sessions:
(i)
(ii)
Governors’ Workshop (1 February 2017);
Learning Walk on Engineering and Motor Vehicle (7 February 2017).
16.2
Feedback on the Governors’ Workshop was very positive. Although not the
traditional strategic planning event of previous years, it had contained some
excellent sessions on curriculum reform, apprenticeships, quality improvement and
further development of the Performance Dashboard.
16.3
Feedback from the Learning Walk on Engineering and Motor Vehicle included that
the Head of Curriculum had appeared to have made a good start in bringing
together a good team following the departure of key staff and responding to the
curriculum reforms that would impact on these areas of provision. The partnership
with Yamaha was cited as an excellent example of engaging with industry,
benefiting both students and staff of the College.
17
Review of Effectiveness of Meeting and Identification of Emerging Risk
17.1 No items were discussed under this agenda item.
18
Date of Next Scheduled Meeting – Tuesday 28 March 2017
Signed …………………...........................……….… Date……………........……
Proposed Future Core Strategic Items
Item
28 March 2017
23 May 2017
11 July 2017
17 October 2017
12 December 2017
13 February 2018
NE/Board of Governors/Minutes/07.02.17
Date
Update on Progress with English and Maths
Employer Engagement Strategy
Budget / Financial Plan / Strategic Plan / Risk
Management
Higher Education Strategy
Self Assessment Report 2016/17
Pay and Benefits Strategy (tbc)
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